This picture was taken at the Lost Trail Hillclimb held on
Chief Joseph pass near Salmon, ID. Those of you who are not
familiar with RMSHA, I will give you a quick rundown. There
are gates and flags staggered all the way from the bottom
of the mountain to the top. There is one racer on the course
and the racer must go through the gates or he will have a
highmark wherever he turns out. This particular picture was
taken when I had a hard right corner coming up. What I did
was position my right foot forward and apply pressure to the
front of the running board. My left foot was kept in the middle
of the running board for a good balance point. My body was
shifted to the right but not too much so I could keep my balance
and momentum in check. I made sure I had a line picked
out around the corner and proceeded to make my way around
the corner and set my front end down after I had my sled
pointed in the right direction.
-Keith Curtis
Plan your outcome.
If you want
to get to the top
of the hill, across
the hill, through
the trees, what
are you going to
do? What happens
if it doesn’t go as
planned? Where
do you go if it all
goes bad?
-Marty Sampson
Filming tip: When filming in deep powder, try
backlighting the rider. Position yourself in a way
where the powder that bursts off the sled and
athlete will be brightly lit up by the sun. Also
looks amazing for still photos. Simple to do, just
have the rider come toward you in a line drawn
from the sun to the camera.
-Jim Phelan
Read the terrain, up, down,
left, right, where is my sled
going to want to go? Always
look ahead for the lay of the
terrain, not in front of your
skis. You need to be able
to predict where the sled
is going to want to go by
understanding the contour
of the terrain you’re riding
over. Without looking out over
the area that you’re riding in
you can’t make that prediction.
It sounds simple, but we
all have ridden up to someone
in some horrible position and
asked, “Where did you think
you were going?”
Once this is mastered you’ll
ride with much less energy
and let the terrain call out
your routes and maneuvers
instead of fighting it.
Eventually you may master
this to the degree that you
can do it by feel instead of
sight; that’s where you can
become one with your sled
and surroundings.
-Marty Sampson
When carving down hill, the use of the brake is
more important that you would think. Keeping
one finger on the brake to control the down hill
descent is key. This slight on-and-off braking
keeps the sled’s nose down and driving into the
powder, giving you that “over the head fresh”
powder feeling. Different angles of slopes mean
different or even longer holds on the brake.
Some slopes require heavy braking and leaning
forward and driving the sled into the snow as you
turn. Other slopes that are deeper in powder and
have less slope require both braking and then a
quick blurp on the gas to properly execute.
-Brad Ball
Photo courtesy www.logchalet.com
Skiing with an engine, as I call it. Nothing like ripping a 3500-foot downhill descent. Even better
is when I pass some of my skier and snowboard buddies lol. It depends on how steep the slope
is and on what sled a person is riding as well as snow conditions, as thicker or dryer snow affects
how much effort is needed to lean the sled. Usually I will be in position over the front of the sled
and give a combined effort of counter-steering, throttle and leaning my body in the direction that I
want to go. It is a practice-makes-perfect kind of thing.
-Rob Alford
When a rider looks down, their
skills go down. Some of the
negative effects are that a
rider will back off or hesitate
while giving throttle input. This
action results in the loss of
forward momentum that can
cause a rider to lose control
of a sled while in a sidehill attitude
or get stuck. If a rider is
looking down it compromises
that rider’s balance and confidence
along with their mental
preparedness to ride the terrain
in front of them.
-Amber Holt
Photo: Geoff Dyer
Get off the beaten path.
-Dan Gardiner
Turbos help. The turbo allows you to
make a mistake and recover at the
push of the throttle. With a stocker
the rider will pretty much have to
have the sled pinned to the wall and
if you make a mistake you’re stuck or
finding a way out the bottom.
-Tony Jenkins
Transition when crossing a
gully. I use the weight of
the sled and gravity to help
me pull the sled over before
I cross a gully. Notice the
right side ski never touches
down in the gully. Slight
counter-steer to help maintain
balance. I have my body
weight forward, with some
wrong-foot-forward technique
to help counter balance
weight of engine as I
cross the ravine.
Photos: Ryan Harris
Once across the gully I move back on
the running board slightly to maintain
an upward line. Notice that I am
focused on the terrain in front and not
on my skis. I’m using a more aggressive
counter steer pulling the sled into
the hill. There is good traction so I
don’t need a lot of throttle, just good
momentum.
Here I am into the apex of the turn, still
looking at my destination, body position
is coming back towards the center of
the sled. Anticipation is important at this
point of the maneuver. If I wasn’t thinking
ahead of my sled I would probably
continue in a left hand turn and come
right back down the mountain.
Even this late in the maneuver I am
pushing off with my free leg for sled
balance. I have full control because I
didn’t let it tip out of the turn.
As I come out of the turn I steer into
the circle to lean the sled outward, thus
straightening my line. My bent elbows
show that I am starting to climb forward
on the sled to help to keep the front end
down and controllable.
Here I have entered the turn, stepped
far back on the running board to help
push the rear of the sled downward,
bringing the front around. Steering is
straighter. It is simply an adjustment to
maintain proper sled balance. Notice
again where my eyes are focused.
Notice that I use my free leg to push
off and keep the sled balanced. I
always over-balance the sled into the
hill because it is easy to push it away.
If it goes over-center down-hill then I
have lost it. Still counter-steering with
a little more throttle as I prepare to
turn up the hill, notice that I am looking
up at a possible line.
As I get closer to the turn I am at full counter-
steer and aggressively pulling the sled
into the turn.
As I advance into the maneuver I am
always looking further forward to
calculate my next move.
As I come out of the turn I
bring my free leg into the
running board and can then
easily step over the seat to
a more neutral position, still
under full power and continuing
to move my body
position forward, controlling
transfer.
-Bret Rasmussen
This picture was taken at the Beaver
Mountain Hillclimb held near Logan,
UT. There were a few different scenarios
going on and the first was the front end
lifting due to the grade of the hill and also
hitting a large mogul. In order to keep
my momentum up I kept on the throttle
as much as possible while staying in control.
In order to control this I put both of
my feet at the back of the foot rest on the
black bar and used it as a pivot point.
This allowed me to carry momentum and
speed up while shooting for a win in the
class. Another reason the sled was pulling
such a big wheelie was because the BD
turbo was working phenomenally. At the
point I was pulling a wheelie there was
also a sidehill and I was pulling my sled to
the right by doing a few things, including
pulling my handlebars to the right hand
side, using my body weight to balance the
sled, and pushing down on the running
board with my feet. When I reached the
next gate my front end was ready to come
down so my skis could make contact with
the ground. When I planted the front end
in the ground I was then able to make
the right hand corner.
-Keith Curtis
When riding trees
look ahead and stay
focused. Anticipate
your next move.
Counter-steering,
weight transfer and
throttle control are
the only way you
can maneuver a 600-
pound snowmachine
through tighter than
sled width areas.
-Justin Cowett
Photo: Heidi Henke
A rider who understands and implements
correctly the three elements of
The Pivotal Pyramid Concept will be
able to execute a maneuver or cross terrain
fluidly within their rider skill level.
These three elements are the rider’s body
English, the sled attitude and throttle
control.
-Amber Holt
Like skiing, keeping your shoulders straight
and even with the horizon helps you keep your
balance and center of gravity. If you “chase”
the sled you will be uneven in your riding
and you will fatigue faster. Keeping the body
square and allowing the sled to move under
you like a gyro will mean less tension as you
ride. Even on aggressive turns you can center
your body and keep square even if the sled is
on quite an angle. Standing on the very edge
of your running boards to do this is needed.
-Brad Ball
Ryan Thompson photo, RLT Photography
Be prepared out there. You don’t want to be that guy who is always
asking for someone’s spare belt or extra sandwich. When filling your
pack in the morning think about what you may need: food, water, spare
belt, plugs, emergency overnight kit, tow strap, etc. Also be selective
about who you ride with. If you are heading out on an epic big mountain
adventure, don’t take the novice who doesn’t know how to use his
transceiver. Make sure everyone is on the same page and is avy savvy.
I can’t stress it enough. Learn how to route find your way through avalanche
terrain. And make sure everyone can use their beacons efficiently.
Practice. So many folks know how to turn their beacons on but have
they practiced searching with them? Get your friends to practice. Make
sure they can search out a beacon in two minutes or less. If one of your
buddies has an old beacon that he struggles with, find a friend who has
a good spare and teach your buddy how to use it. You never know, he
might be searching for you one day. Always remember, a great day can
turn bad in an instant. So be prepared.
-Rob Hoff
Now it’s no secret that I like to jump.
That’s clearly my favorite part of sledding.
Even as a kid, it’s all I wanted to
do. The one tip I would give anyone
who wants to start sending it is start
small. There is a learning curve with
jumping just like there is with any part
of riding. Don’t think that you have to
find the biggest cliff or hip and hit it as
fast as you can and hope for the best.
Start on something that you are comfortable
with and work your way up. Before
you know it you will be hucking just like
the boys in the sled films and will limit
the broken bones along the way.
-Paul Thacker
When I’m scoping a drop I’m
looking for the transition.
Is it steep? Are there rocks?
How is the run out? Could
it slide? What am I going to
do if it does? Where is the
sweet spot on the landing?
Up top I’m looking to see if
the approach is flat, what
angle I want to take and
how much speed I’ll need.
Speed is very important.
Too fast could put you in
the flats and too slow
could put you in the rocks.
It’s all about the sweet
spot
-Jeremy Simmons
Photo: Ryan Harris
Ryan Thompson photo, RLT Photography
This picture was taken at the Lost Trail
Hillclimb held near Salmon, ID, on Chief
Joseph Pass. What I was doing was getting
my track to make contact with the
snow faster so I could gain some time
on the course. While my feet were up in
the front of the footrest I had my body
pulling back on the sled. I was pulling
on the handlebars and throwing my body
weight to the back of the sled so I could
make contact with the snow. I eased into
the throttle as the track hit the snow and
then pinned it to the next corner.
-Keith Curtis
Failure to keep the center
of gravity square and
the chasing of the sled
in the turns will lead to a
Top Gun movie moment.
The sled will control you
and will have you saying
“Eject, Goose,” throwing
you over the side.
-Brad Ball
Take a level 1 avalanche class. Now.
-Dan Gardiner
Where you look is where you go. When a rider’s
head position is up and looking forward
in the direction of the line they wish to travel, it
ensures that a rider maintains stability, balance
and confidence. Correct placement of the head
carries through a rider’s stance and optimizes
the six rider positions, body mechanics and
allows lead time for the rider’s brain to process
the terrain in front of them.
-Amber Holt
Heidi Henke photo
Use your big muscle groups like your legs to share
most of the burden to keep your small muscle groups
like your arms from wearing out prematurely. I try to use
my legs as much as possible in steering the sled, especially
in initiating a powder turn or a sidehill. I usually
keep my feet close to the foot well of the running board
and close to the edge of the running board. When I
start my sidehill I press down firmly on the uphill side
of the running board and start my counter steer at the
same time so that it is my leg that is starting the sidehill
and not my arms. A powder turn works the same way. If
you want to turn to the left then you use your left foot
to start making the sled come over rather than using
your arm muscles. Another thing I find myself doing
during powder turns and sidehilling is straightening out
my arms all the way so that my arms are not flexed. By
doing this you are not using your arm muscles as much
and can keep your arms from getting tired faster. With
that said there are a lot of times when you do want your
arms bent so they can act like a shock absorber.
-John Summers
Photo by Todd Williams, www.polarisfreeride.com
In certain situations, riding the brake can be a helpful technique when
trying to initiate downhill turns. Understanding what your sled needs
to lay into a left or right hand turn is where you need to start. As you
counter-steer, get your body in the right position and if needed, apply
the brake. This will help you hold your line as your sled starts to move
towards the fall line. You may need to continue riding the brake as your
sled picks up momentum. Basically, you are allowing the slope to give
you the speed necessary to direct the sled. Once you have decided your
line and are ready to continue your turn on the gas, try applying throttle
in short bursts. This type of “on and off “ throttle will still give the sled
momentum, but keep you in control.
Since most of the time applying the brake to help control your turn happens
when you are in the trees, try to practice riding the brake in areas
where your exit to the slope is wide open. As you get more comfortable
with this technique, move to a more difficult spot and continue the challenge.
Over time, this tip will get you heading in the right direction and
hopefully out of trouble, which most of us “wood riders,” tend to get into.
-Dan Adams
Look ahead and flow with your machine, try not to hurry your movements.
When tree riding looking very far ahead is hard so be ready to act fast and smooth when you see a line. Try and keep forward motion
and good throttle control. If you get in a spot where you know you probably are going to get stuck don’t bury it; save yourself time
and energy by getting off your sled. Find a good route that will allow you to get going and walk a path about 10-15 feet long. Take
your time and walk it a couple of times, making sure that it is as wide as your sled skis. This will allow you to get going without even
lifting or even breaking a sweat. Hopefully you made a path that goes somewhere and you can get back to having fun.
-Troy Johnson
Sled prep: always
check your sled out. Just
because it was running
fine last ride out doesn’t
mean your suspension
bolts didn’t loosen up or
your belt isn’t worn out.
Clutches will be dirty and
nothing kills clutching like
belt dust and oily residue
from when you flipped
it over and that oil you
spilled filling up your oil
that last morning ran and
dripped onto your clutches
and belt. Grease your
suspension every 300-500
miles. That will also allow
you to look for cracks
or broken bolts. Clean
your sled, pull it into your
heated garage every
now and then and wash
it, degrease it and check
it out. Not one of your
friends likes to ride your
butt out double because
of stupid. Accidents aren’t
so bad but stupid just
ruins a lot of fun. I know I
do speak from experience
on both sides.
-Troy Johnson
Photo: Ryan Harris
When picking a line through trees most would think to pick from tree to tree. My personal
best advice would be to keep your head up and look ahead a good 30 to 40 feet. That way you
can keep consistent lines that your buddies won’t be able to follow. Also, you won’t see yourself
center-punching a tree when looking ahead.
-Tony Jenkins
When breaking in new hifax,
ride up the trail for a mile or
two and then stop and cool it
down rapidly by kicking snow
on it, then continue this process
four or five times (even
if ice scratchers are installed).
This radical temperature
change hardens the composition
of the material and
increases long-term durability.
-Amber Holt
Hanging a leg: “Why are you always hanging your
leg off of your sled?” I get this question a lot
and this technique has really become a standard
rider position for me. First of all, it allows me to
have more weight/leverage on the uphill side of
the sled. This allows me to be able to hold my sidehill
on steeper slopes. It also puts me in the proper
position to “pedal” my sled (basically pushing with
my foot) when I start to lose momentum and still
want to continue my sidehill.
-Chris Burandt
My experience over the years sledding in the trees has been
several bent bulkheads, broken A-arms, sleds upside down in
tree wells or head-on collisions with trees or better yet, mid-air
collisions. Having said all this, I have to say tree riding is my
favorite part of sledding. The trick to riding in the trees is not
to be timid and ride aggressively, scouting out smart routes
that you think your sled can make. It takes years to get really
good. The best tree riders look ahead of where they are as if
they have already ridden over all the pow that is in front of
them. You have to not be afraid to commit even if the consequences
are a two-hour dig fest.
-Rob Alford
Deciding on your best handlebar position can take time. For
me, I have explored a ton of different options only to find benefits
to just a few. I am only about 5-foot-8 and have often wanted
my bars to meet me where my arms are fully extended in a
stand-up position, although having a taller bar setup can in many
cases put you in a bad position. What happens to your position
is you end up reaching for your bars and putting too much
of your body on the wrong side of the sled. You will feel this
happening when sidehilling and having to make quick direction
changes on a slope. On the other hand, a bar and riser set up
that makes you reach down to them as you are standing on the
sled can lead to shoulder and back pain throughout the day. My
advice is to meet in the middle and find a set-up that creates a
happy medium, one that gives you a fair amount of extension to
your arms in a stand-up position but is also close enough to your
sled to stay in control when the terrain changes. Determining bar
width is another personal preference that will ultimately make
your riding better. I have found that a slightly shorter distance
between my arms has given me a greater advantage in all types
of terrain. Remember, much like a driver seat in a vehicle, putting
your body in a good position will help you stay in control and will
lead to less rider fatigue.
The easy answer to handlebar position would be to stand
on your sled on the shop floor and figure it out. Unfortunately,
these decisions are a bit more involved than that. It’s almost like
determining the type of riding you do the most that solves this
issue. Having a riser setup that allows you to go up and down
given the terrain is your best option. Otherwise, be prepared to
make changes as you discover what works best for your height
and rider type.
-Dan Adams
I like my feet forward—about eight inches back from the
front of the foot rest. I also like putting my chest over
the bars with my eyes over the front of sled looking. I’m
always in this position looking for the sweet spot on the
big jumps and drops.
-Jeremy Simmons
Having options: When riding in very technical
terrain, you have to be able to make
split-second decisions to avoid getting
stuck or even worst wrecking your sled. In
this particular shot I ended up continuing
my sidehill but as you can see I was scanning
the terrain below establishing my
plan B and C in case plan A didn’t work
out.
-Chris Burandt
Start small and work
your way up. Get
comfortable with
what your sled does
in the air. You will be
going big before
you know it.
-Jeremy Simmons
photo courtesy SCHOOLED Again
www.deviantsled.com
I think that breathing
is very important, I
know when I start to
get tired I make myself
exhale deeply and
inhale deeply and hold
it in for a split second
to give my lungs
time to work before I
exhale. That seems to
get my breathing back
to normal.
-Lyle Dahlgren
Counter-steer. Always initiate your maneuvers with counter-steering, not pulling, tugging,
jumping, reefing, etc. If you don’t get this, start off by riding across a flat field
with some powder in it, stay centered on the sled with your feet on each running
board, then turn the bars … the sled will roll the opposite way and you will most likely
fall off—but you will start to see how counter-steering will work for you and with
some practice you’ll learn to control it. This is the basis for most maneuvers.
-Marty Sampson
Downhill turn in June snow while overcoming gravity: As most know, spring
snow can weed out the riders in a group, finding that its the hardest time
to ride and the snow is as fast as ice on a roadway. For most of us professionals
we find spring snow to be some of the most exciting riding. Doing
a downhill turn in June snow is really not hard when following some
simple steps. The main step would be commitment. Second of all you want
to make sure before the rider turns to counter-steer to the opposite direction
the rider wants the sled to go. Third, jump to the side you’re going to
turn on and use your wrong foot forward motion while using your heal side
of your foot as a rudder and pulling the sled on its side with the brake on.
Once you feel the sled start turning on its side, let off the brake and use
throttle control. Once you’ve done all these tips you’ll find that the sled will
be going on the side of the hill instead of straight down.
-Tony Jenkins
Being physically fit can help the
rider out a lot. How many times
have you had arm pump? You
know exactly what I mean when
you can’t even take your hands
off the bars to give your buddy a
high five. Problem solved when I
work out in the gym. I grab on to
a pull up bar and just hang while
focusing on the bar. Try this for 60
seconds for three different sets;
after a few of these step it up to
120 seconds. Keep in mind that
each time you try these you need
to keep beating your time as the
conditioning moves on. Another
thing that I do to keep me from
fogging up my goggles is to run
a few miles a week and ride the
bicycle, to keep a good stamina.
-Tony Jenkins
When picking tree lines I try to paint a
line around the trees. Pretend you’re
John Madden with his magic pen and
draw a line through those trees. Once
you drop in follow that line. Don’t freak
out, just be confident and solid. Make
smooth, deliberate turns and shred
your way through. Make sure the snow is
plenty deep so you can carve your way
through without catching a ski. If you
screw up, you’re going to t-bone a big
pine tree. If you need to go left, jump
to the left side. Pull hard, burp the gas
and kick that outside leg out the way you
want to go. By doing that you will kick
the sled up on edge and hopefully out of
harm’s way. Worst case you will slide into
the tree sideways, hopefully with the track
hitting the tree. There is nothing worse
than sliding down and smashing the
whole front end of your sled into a tree.
-Rob Hoff
Photo by Todd Williams,
www.polarisfreeride.com
Be physically ready to ride. Backcountry riding demands some upper
body strength, a good grip, fast feet and some endurance/cardio. If
I had to pick one quick workout that hits all these areas I would set
aside 15-20 minutes a day and grab a jump rope which is killer cardio for
good forearm, shoulders, arms, legs and calves. Change it up, speed
jump, both feet, alternate feet, also changing arm positions will work
different muscles as well. This will up coordination and help eliminate
arm pump. Most mishaps happen later in the day due to being flat out of
shape and worn out. Start early, get in shape and be ready to rip it up all
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